Global Warming - why don't you believe it???

Question

Wife and I watched National Geographic last night, a program called "Six Degrees" where-in they examined the effects of a gradual increase of temperature.

What we saw was extremely alarming. In 2003, in London England (correct me if I'm wrong), something like 45,000 people died from an unusual heat wave. This wasn't reported in the US, so it was the first we heard of it. VERY SCARRY STUFF. They also examined the Ice Glaciers of Greenland. They are falling into the sea and melting at the rate of 7.9 miles per year. WOW! ! ! That should shake you up/

In the Himalayas, the glaciers that they depend on for water during the summer has been receding over the last 50 years, and soon there will be NO water for the summer.

These are facts! PLEASE PLEASE research the subject and get active - DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Answer 1

For us the changes are not going to be that drastic.  We won't live to see the devastion that is coming.  It truly is going to happen.  Some things are to late to reverse, but if they don't move there @ss the Earth will surely full apart.....

Answer 2

I am skeptical about global warming, because the weather in new york right now is FREEZING, it's been below 0 celcius (we had a couple of blizzards in the past week)

you would probably say this is just a cold front, but never before have we seen snow come down from the sky in such huge chunks (literally, snow came down like scattered pieces of styrafoam)

Answer 3

How could I not believe it?  There is no credible alternate theory that explains current warming.

http://journals.royalsociety.org/content...

"There are many interesting palaeoclimate studies that suggest that solar variability had an influence on pre-industrial climate. There are also some detection–attribution studies using global climate models that suggest there was a detectable influence of solar variability in the first half of the twentieth century and that the solar radiative forcing variations were amplified by some mechanism that is, as yet, unknown. However, these findings are not relevant to any debates about modern climate change. Our results show that the observed rapid rise in global mean temperatures seen after 1985 cannot be ascribed to solar variability, whichever of the mechanisms is invoked and no matter how much the solar variation is amplified."

http://blogs.nature.com/climatefeedback/...

"blaming the sun for recent global warming is no science-backed position anymore – it is deliberate disinformation. "

Quirin Schiermeier

German Correspondent

Nature

We're pretty screwed here in the U.S. too:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/magazi...

Steven Chu, a Nobel laureate and the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, one of the United States government’s pre-eminent research facilities, remarked that diminished supplies of fresh water might prove a far more serious problem than slowly rising seas.

Chu noted that even the most optimistic climate models for the second half of this century suggest that 30 to 70 percent of the snowpack will disappear. “There’s a two-thirds chance there will be a disaster,” Chu said, “and that’s in the best scenario.”

Answer 4

i do believe it - you cant deny it, its all around us. everybodys suffering, but if we all pitch in, we might be able to do something about it!!

good question!!

Answer 5

We're all going to burn

Answer 6

I am tired of these mother ******* snakes on this mother ******* plane

Answer 7

I'm not skeptical of GW theory. So instead of telling you why I reject it I'll tell you why I and most of the world's scientists accept the theory.

First, we know the planet in warming. We have very accurate and reliable records of Earth's temperature dating back hundreds of years (nearly 600 years in the British Isles), as well as fairly reliable estimations of temperatures based on proxy measurements that stretch back for millenia.

We also know that the current warming is unusual. The planet hasn't been this warm since at least the mid 14th century, and likely the past 6,000 years (and it shows no signs of cooling down any time soon). More importantly, the rate of warming has been unprecedented throughout all of human history.

http://tamino.wordpress.com/2006/11/08/t...

We also know that this warming bears all the signs of an enhanced greenhouse effect. For instance, the planet is warming more during night time hours than daylight hours, which doesn't make sense if the warming is resulting from, say, an increase in solar output. The warming has also resulted in cooling in the stratosphere, which can only result from an enhanced greenhouse effect (it's complicated, see the link below for more info).

http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/20c.ht...

Scientists have also been carefully monitoring the sun in recent decades. And there have been no trends in solar output sufficient to have produced the bulk of 20th century warming. As you can see in the below graph of TSI (Total Solar Irradiance) for the past century and a half, while the trend from 1850- ≈1970 is in good agreement with temperatures, during the 1975-present period (the period when scientists believe human influence began to dominate the climate change), TSI levels off while temperature continues to rise:

http://tamino.files.wordpress.com/2007/0...

Of course, this is a very brief overview of a very small portion of the evidence supporting global warming theory. For more info I recommend reading the IPCC 4th Assessment report, which you can read for free online through the link below:

http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/wg1-report....

One last note though. Several people have made the claim that Mars has also showed signs of warming, and that this disproves AGW theory. It doesn't.

First, it's actually very difficult to know whether Mars is warming. It's difficult enough measuring the temperature of our own planet, and we've been working on that for centuries. We have no surface monitoring stations on Mars, and have no way of obtaining temperature proxies (ice cores, tree ring data, etc.). In fact, the evidence of warming on Mars mostly comes from a series of photographs showing what may be a shrinking of Mars's southern ice cap.

Second, Mars may or may not be warming, but what about the rest of the solar system? Most of the other nine planets and hundred or so moons have shown no signs of warming at all, some even appear to be cooling. So if changes in the sun were causing Earth and Mars to warm, why isn't it affecting the rest of the solar system as well?

Just something to think about.

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=1...

Answer 8

From your beloved National Geographic:

Answer 9

A T.V SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   NOW I BELIVE IT, THE GLOWING BOX WOULD NEVER LIE

Answer 10

I believe it is happening, Its been warming since the end of the last Ice age 18,000 years ago, I do not think man has a large effect. Earth has climatic cycles between ice ages and warm periods, it will continue to warm for another 2000 years then we will enter another ice age, yes the polar caps will melt they always have and vegetation will thrive in the Polar Region in the summer time

Answer 11

It's hard to buy into the global warming craze when so many of the so-called 'facts'..... are just plain wrong!

For example, you cite 45,000 people dead in England due to the 2003 heat wave.  The actual number was 2,139 for both England and Wales.

Another example is the temperature data used to analyze world trends.  The surface stations used to collect such information have been found to be seriously sub-standard.  As a result, they are reporting temperatures that are higher than actual.

When I can see some REAL facts..... not just cherry-picked sub-quotes......then I may be able to make a decision one way or the other.

There is simply too much out there in the way of mis-information and flawed data!

Answer 12

Think about this.  In the past there were ice ages.  At one point every continent on this planet was at the bottom of the sea.  The earth is constantly changing.  There has always been dramatic changes in the temperatures and weather patterns, always will be.  

Manmade pollution is probably speeding up this process, and it should be a major concern for all, but the earth's climate is going to change regardless.

Answer 13

I believe in it.  I don't understand how people can walk outside in the summer time and still deny it.  I've found that the people who deny it, claim it's cyclical.  If that were true, then there wouldn't be this many record highs.

Answer 14

It is happening, we can't do anything about it. The Earth changes naturally, we have had times when the temperature was 4-5 degrees celcius higher than today, where was CO2 teh? We've also had Ice Ages. 1934 was as hot as 2007, and the weather across the Globe this January and February has been freezing, we've still got ice on the cars at 9 or 10 in the morning, and I'm in South West England.

Answer 15

I do believe it. But if you were a geologist or geo-physicist, you'd be familiar with the heating and cooling cycles that the earth goes through naturally. Before man was even on the planet the earth experienced swings in temperatures by way more than "six degrees" and will continue to have temperature swings long after man is extinct. Do I believe in global warming? Yes. I do not believe in freaking out about it though because whatever we as Americans do to halt it will be in vain. Even if the US goes 100% green, there are still mega polluting countries that don't care one way or the other about accellerating the process. And truly, that's all that we are doing. We can either adapt to the temperature change or face extinction. The change is coming, like it or not.

Answer 16

so, i ran through, and collected a few answers.

"the effect of global warming is not so apparent in America at least not in USA hence they care very little"  

THIS IS, IN FACT, TRUE.  around here, we don't see things like the picture down at the bottom of http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/natur...

and

"If you don't like a "consumerist" lifestyle, nobody's forcing you to choose it.  You have no right to force me not to."  

THIS IS THE REAL PROBLEM.  "IT'S ALL ABOUT MONEY"  IE, GREED.  (well, with a large chunk of stupid mixed in with it.)

these people really make me angry.  our ancestors have worked and sacrificed to provide this country with a lifestyle that is the envy of the world.  and all they care about is themselves.  you see it all over.  US, and SELF magazines on the shelf.  50 years ago, that attitude would not be profitable.  today it is.  over the course of my lifetime, this country has changed.  we've become less caring of those in need, both at home, and around the world.  is that what happened to Rome?

then there are all of the following, which are quoted time and time again.  one would think someone was playing a tape through their mouths (or fingers in this case).

"it stopped happening almost a decade ago. Global average temps have been lower than 1998 levels since 1998, and starting in Spring 2007 there has been an observed cooling trend"

"Mars is warming up like we are.  (SUVs?)"

"there has been a cold scare predicted in about 4 or 5 years from now"

"it will continue to warm for another 2000 years then we will enter another ice age"

"These things are cyclical ... this HAS happened before, even when there was no industrialization."

-- the last 3 are of the "It's not our fault" ilk.  in the USA, this truly is the age of irresponsibility.  besides global warming, you see it in the deficits we're building up.  $30,000 for every person.  $60,000 for every tax payer, WHO MUST PAY INTEREST essentially on another mortgage -- forever.  you see it in PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO VOTE FOR ANYONE WHO DOES NOT PROMISE THEM A TAX CUT.  today, you cannot get elected unless you promise tax cuts.  i'm not sure how long it's been that way, but surely since 1980.  you also see it in what we buy.  we buy goods that are made overseas, and we know that American workers used to make those products.  If it's not us that gets fired, it doesn't make a difference.

and then there are folks like jello, who has blocked me, apparently because he does not want anything like balance amongst his replies.  it's hard to believe, but more and more it seems as if he's being paid to post anything that might help the energy industry's attitude of, "don't do anything to disrupt our profits."

i think my soapbox is getting pretty warn and rickety.

maybe i better give it a rest.

Answer 17

It's not really a matter of whether the earth is warming but how.  One reason I don't think it is caused by man is this... The mid-troposphere is supposed to warm at a faster rate than the surface.  This makes sense.. since CO2 is accumulated int the mid to upper troposphere and is a heat trapping gas that the extra heat we are experiencing on earth should be coming from the mid-troposphere.  Well the fact of the matter is that the surface is warming at a faster rate than the mid troposphere that right there is reason for question.  Another thing, temps in the southern hemisphere are not warming like the northern hemisphere but yet there is every bit as much CO2 in the S hemisphere as the N hemisphere, that is another good question.  These two things make me think it is natural.  So therefore nothing we can do about it.  The Glaciers in Greenland are not just melting b/c of the rising temperature but b/c they are located over a hot spot in the earth, meaning volcanic activity increasing the melting.  The arctic circle is back to it's full size right now.  The older thicker ice is gone and replaced with new thinner ice meaning this summer the ice will melt then re-freeze as it does every year.  Don't let TV scare the h**l out of you yet.  There are reasons to believe it is natural.  Just check out the points I've showed and do some research and you'll see some for yourself.

Edit: one quick thing about mars.  mars goes through wobbles meaning tilts closer and further from the sun more often than the earth do to it's lack of a moon like ours.  So that's why mars is warming so much.  Might have to do with the sun but it wobbles a lot more.

Answer 18

I don't believe in global warming because it's not real.

I mean, sure. The globe has warmed up a bit but it has nothing to do with human activity, not to mention the "greenhouse effect" is one of the softest piles of steaming bullshit I've ever heard in my life. Back in the 70's scientists were saying that our pollutants blocked the sun. In the 80's and 90's, we allegedly ripped a hole in the ozone and more heat was entering than usual. Now, in the late 2000's, our emissions are blocking the suns heat in. Same pile of bullshit, different decade, only this time around you have dickheads like Al Gore to over exaggerate it. Another thing is that people blame global warming for more violent natural disasters, but I bet you didn't that in August/September of 2005 that solar output was it its highest since 1991. The result? The so called "worst" hurricane season on record. Human activity? My left nut!

Answer 19

So what's causing global warming on Mars?  Global warming is politicans way of scaring the public into voting for them because apparently have the fix.  Did global warming cause the first Ice Age?  Did it cause the great flood?  I don't think Noah owned an SUV.  You global warming people need to get a life.

Answer 20

the effect of global warming is not so apparent in America at least not in USA hence they care very little

Answer 21

those who deny the existence of global warming are idiots and selfish bigots

Answer 22

Shall we put the clock back and start life in the primitive style keeping away all modern style in life .At this time it may be difficult to

part with the styles we have .Some sort of a cont role shall be put forth as a fashion to be observed by some body .

Let the Warnings hang over the heads and proceed further .

Answer 23

Let me clear up some things here.  First of all I am a Earth Science, environmental major, so I know something of what I'm talking bout...  unlike these business or political majors that like to spit out opinions about something they know little bout... you'd be surprised...  Anyways, yes there have been warming and cooling periods in the past (dubbed glaciation and deglaciation periods I believe).  Yes 1998 was the record high for this epoch (time period).  Yes the temperature has slightly decreased from that year...  Here's the kicker, ready?  It's SUPPOSE to decrease.  We are SUPPOSE to be in a glaciation period according to all the predictions and research of paleontologists and geologists and what not.  The problem is that the climate is generally stable or getting hotter right now, when should be getting colder.  There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that human activites have some impact on the natural cycle of earth.  I have recently taken a Env. Science class that went over hundreds of natural disasters and climate extremes of the year 2007.  There were plenty of heat waves...  India, England, Cali, New York, etc...  Just because 1998 was the record high, does not mean that the climate is not hotter than it should be right now...  and it does not mean that it can't get hotter...

Answer 24

As a geologist, I understand better than most that change is the norm.  There is a 50 / 50 change of it getting either warmer or colder.  It is not going to stay the same for long.  We could fret over it getting warmer but the truth is that it is far worse for almost everything when it gets colder.  Look around you.  You might see a beautiful winter but pretend you are an animal living in the wilderness.  Animals struggle to survive this time of year.  The reason obviously is because it is too cold (in most places).  Stop believing every scare tactic.  The truth is the effects of warming have been exaggerated.  To prove it to yourself, ask yourself if that documentary suggested that there would be benefits to warming.  If you cannot think of any, ask yourself why they would only discuss potential negative consequences.  We are not all going to die.  This sort of thing has been pushed on people forever.  It usually isn't so successful in fooling so many people, however.

Answer 25

I BELIVE AND GLOBAL WARMING

Answer 26

Yes thank you , Finally someone cares about global warming.

cAN YOU BELIVE THAT SOME PEOPLE TOLD ME THAT THEY THINK ITS JUST A BUNCH OF BULL S****.

Answer 27

read the bible plez , its all written , stop being an antheist

Answer 28

I do not disagree at all.  In all honesty, I think people are pushing this aside due in part by denial, but also the difficulty of reversing the sheer size of industry.  For the most part, I believe people also think technology will accomodate for changes in climate, although this is not a grass roots level attack on the problem as it should be.

Answer 29

A. It is february, and much cooler than it usually is (for the second year in a row)

B. The same scientists who predict global warming will kill us are the same ones who predicted global cooling will kill us in the 70's

C. These same scientists will always have some BS about a fake apacolypse to shove down our throats.

D. Didn't your mother ever tell you that you can't believe everything you see on TV?

Answer 30

it's either something we're doing or something we don't have any control over. period.

Answer 31

Stick with your gut feelings.

They tell you not to believe everything on tv.

Here....these aren't from tv.

http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_d...



http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?pr...



http://www.john-daly.com/deadisle/index....



http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2005/...



http://www.livescience.com/environment/0...



http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_d...

By the way....

don't believe everything you read

on yahooanswers.